Training a service dog to meet our child’s requirements can be very costly. On average it costs between $40,000-60,000 to raise, train, and place a service dog at 4 Paws for Ability. While 4 Paws for Ability fundraises to help cover a significant portion of this cost, families are tasked with raising $20,000 of that amount or $23,000 if receiving a poodle, doodle or papillon. We hope that we can receive assistance from our beloved family and friends to help make our service dog dream a reality.

This is not an easy story to tell, but it’s important to start at the beginning. In July 2023, Julian had his first seizure (just a month before starting kindergarten). Thankfully, we were in the hospital when it happened as he stopped breathing and had to be intubated. Julian is a fighter, and his stint in the hospital was thankfully brief.

However, a few months later, seizures resumed and he received his official epilepsy diagnosis. While his seizures are now more managed, they are not completely under control and we continue to be on the quest for answers. 

Anyone who has experienced epilepsy knows that this disease is as complicated as it is unnerving. The seizures are just one component of Julian’s epilepsy. In addition to sleep issues, mood changes and other issues, his epilepsy has led to a lot of anxiety for him.

Now in first grade, Julian has a bus aide and other provisions in place to help him should he have a seizure. We are tremendously grateful for all of the people who are constantly keeping their eyes on him and providing us with ideas, guidance or simply a hug during this process. Despite the amazing support, we live our lives on edge, never knowing when he will have his next seizure. Every decision we make for our family, from long-term goals to weekend plans, includes his epilepsy in the calculus. Julian’s seizures often require rescue medication and we are still unsure about all of his triggers, so the unpredictability of them is incredibly stressful for us. We often sleep beside him so we can monitor him at night.

An especially devastating part of this disease is the mental toll it takes on the patient. Julian is now incredibly anxious about his seizures. For his seventh birthday, he told us he was going to blow his candles out and wish for his seizures to go away. What a heartbreaking wish for a kid to have.

Learning about 4 Paws 4 Ability, and being approved for a service dog, has been an immense source of hope for our family. It is incredibly comforting to think about having a dog that can alert us when he is having a seizure and possibly predict seizures before they can occur. More than that, the idea of there being a highly-trained dog that can comfort Julian when these events happen and provide companionship through it all is a truly uplifting thought.

As anyone who knows our Julian can confirm, he is a huge animal lover and the idea of a service dog is something he is very excited about. 

Asking for support from friends, family and our community is not easy and admittedly feels very vulnerable. But we know that many people want to help Julian, and support of any amount would be tremendously meaningful as we embark on this chapter to get Julian his own 4 Paws 4 Ability service dog. 

Julian’s silliness, sweetness and joy are positively contagious, and we know that having a 4 Paws 4 Ability dog will make his smile even brighter.

Thank you so much for reading our story and for being a part of this journey with us. We are tremendously grateful to have so many people who love our boy and who are rallying behind him. We cannot do this without you, and from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you!

Sincerely,
Monika and Patrick